Bird, in a statement posted to social media, praised Reynolds but added that she and her husband will “consider what this decision means for our future.”
“I appreciate the calls of encouragement I’ve already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump,” she added.
Among the Republicans who may also have an interest in potentially running in 2026 to succeed Reynolds in the governor’s office in Des Moines are longtime state agriculture secretary Mike Naig; state House Speaker Pat Grassley, the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and all four members of Iowa’s all-GOP congressional delegation — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04).
Two other names that are mentioned are Matt Whitaker, who ran statewide twice in Iowa but who is known nationally for serving as U.S. attorney general for a couple of months during the first Trump administration and who is currently serving as U.S. representative to NATO; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann.
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Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, who has worked in Iowa politics for decades, noted that the Republicans have a “deep bench.”
When it comes to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, speculation centers on Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the Hawkeye State.
Reynolds, pointing to Iowa’s shift to the right in recent election cycles, said the GOP “will remain in great hands” as the next generation of Iowa Republicans build on her legacy.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, left, appears with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, and his wife, Casey DeSantis, at a campaign event in Bettendorf, Iowa, on Dec. 18, 2023. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Reynolds saw her national profile rise in recent years, through her previous tenure as RGA chair and by welcoming Republican presidential candidates to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, which remain the lead-off contest in the race for the White House on the GOP calendar.
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In the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Reynolds’ endorsement was coveted by the crowded GOP primary field. Reynolds ultimately endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and joined him repeatedly on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the caucuses.
